Abstract

Rate of penetration of a tunnel boring machine in a hard rock environment is generally a key parameter which expresses the ease or difficulty with which the rock mass can be excavated. In this paper, the penetrability of TBM in hard rock conditions was investigated with the developed fuzzy classification system. TBM penetration rate and rock properties (such as Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS), Brazilian Tensile Strength (BTS), rock brittleness/toughness, Average Distance between Planes of Weakness (DPW) and orientation of discontinuities in rock mass) were evaluated by using the multifactorial fuzzy approach which is a special case of multiple objective multifactorial decision making for the penetrability classification of TBM in hard rock conditions. Using the decision function, the penetrating performance of TBM was classified into three categories; Good, Medium and Poor. Eventually, it is possible to evaluate the penetrability and determine the advance rate for new conditions by carrying out the proposed rock properties tests and using the developed fuzzy classification system.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.